Manufacture of shoes



Jan. 7, 1941. E. E. WINKLEY 9 5 MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed June 20, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 7,1941. E. WINKLEY MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Fiied June 20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 7, 1941 1' UNITED STATES MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Erastus E. Winkley, Lynn, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 20, 1939, Serial No. 280,089

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of shoes and particularly to the manufacture of those types of shoes in which a last is inserted after the shoe upper and sole are 5 fastened together.

The step of inserting a last in a shoe after the shoe has been assembled is common to the manufacture of many types of shoes. To perform this step properly, the last must be inserted in the shoe and seated firmly against the shoe bottom. In the course of such procedure, particularly if the shoe is being put on the last for the first time, and to a lesser extent in the case of re- I lasting, difficulty is experienced in bringing the shank and waist areas of the upper in tightly against the shoe. As a result, excessive fullness frequently develops in these areas, marring the appearance of the shoe and causing it to fit poorly.

The usual method by which this difliculty is eliminated consists in using pincers to pull the upper upwardly progressively about the top line of the shoe. This step, however, is generally carried out on one side of the shoe at a time and there is considerable likelihood that if sufficient strain is put on the upper to bring it tight up against the last in the waistportion, the top line will be distorted and the shoe may be twisted on the last and wrinkles created elsewhere.

The suggestion has also been made of employing a device which will wipe the shoe upwardly on both sides of the last at the same time. As heretofore practiced, however, this suggestion has certain disadvantages in that it is preferable for the wiping action to have a longitudinal component so as to distribute the excess fullness along the entire top line of the shoe, and also because it is desirable to have the initial wiping done 40 in a line as nearly as possible perpendicular to the shoe bottom. If, as is usual, the action of the wipers is rectilinear, the fullness is either carried to the top of the shoe where it may distort the top line and prevent a smooth fit of the shoe 45 about the ankle or else the wiping action is at an angle to the shoe bottom, and thus is not so effective in bringing the upper into close contact with the last.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to 50 provide a method of relasting and bringing the waist portion of the upper into intimate contact with the last, thereby securing a tightly-lasted well-fitting shoe without running the danger of distorting the shoe. It is a further object to 55 provide a device for practicing this method.

With a view to accomplishing these objects, the invention provides a method of shoemaking which comprises assembling an upper and a sole, subsequently inserting and seating a last therein, moving the lasted shoe along a curvilinear 5 path, and simultaneously applying yielding pressure to the opposite sides of the shoe at its waist portion, thereby wiping the waist portion of the upper inwardly and upwardly over the last. For practicing this method the invention further 10 provides a device comprising a shoe engaging member and a plurality of yieldable pad members constructed and arranged to be engaged by opposite sides of the waist portion of a shoe swung on said shoe engaging member between 15- said pad members, thereby wiping the shoe upper inwardly and upwardly.

The invention will be better understood when considered in relation to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a' perspective view of a shoe on which the method of the invention is being practiced;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a device for practicing the method;

Fig. 3 is a cross section along the line III-III of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 illustrates the device engaging the heel end of a shoe.

While the invention may be employed in the manufacture of all types of shoes, it is of particular advantage in those types of shoes into which a last is introduced at some point in the sequence of operations subsequent to the attaching of the sole to the upper, whether the insertion be for the first time or be in the nature of a relasting operation. The invention is illustrated herein as practiced on a turn shoe, but it will be evident that it may equally well be employed on McKay shoes, or shoes assembled off the last. v

In the manufacture of turn shoes, the upper is assembled inside out on a last with a sole, and the two are then stitched together, generally on a curved needle machine. After this operation the last is removed and the shoe turned right side out. To complete the shoe, and to shape it properly, a second last is then inserted, and it is at this point that the present method becomes important.

Since the second last is generally a half size smaller than the original last, there is considerable likelihood that there will be an excess fullness of the upper particularly through the waist portion of the shoe. The present method is par- .55

ticularly advantageous in overcoming this difficulty. In accordance therewith, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the toe end of the shoe is positioned beneath a pad ll] of soft rubber or similar flexible material. Preferably, as illustrated, the pad is covered by a piece of leather IE to protect the shoe. The lasted shoe is then moved downwardly in a curved path with the pad I0 acting as a fulcrum point, until it is engaged on either side near the sole at its waist portion by two or more yieldable wiper pads 16. Continuation of the downward movement causes the pads to exert an upwiping pressure upon the upper material, thereby tensioning the upper and removing any excess fullness in the waist portion.

It will be noted that as the pads it are first engaged by the shoe, the pull on the upper is toward the top line of the shoe. In this way the excessive fullness which tends to occur near the sole is wiped away, and the upper is properly tensioned in that area. However, as the shoe continues to pivot about the pad ID, the longitudinal component of the wiping action increases so that, as the shoe approaches its lowest position, the upper is being pulled toward the instep, thereby distributing any excess leather all along the top line of the shoe. Wiping the excess leather toward the instep is particularly desirable in laced shoes, since a slight variation in the distance by which the lacing flies l8 are separated is immaterial.

When the shoe has reached its lowest position (Fig. 1), the upper may be tacked to the last along the top line, so as to hold it in upwiped position. If desired, in a laced shoe, a lacing thread may also be inserted, to assist the tacks in holding the upper in place. The shoe is then ready for the operations necessary to complete it, which may advantageously include treatment of the upper by heat or moisture, or a combination of both.

Alternatively, the heel end of the lasted shoe may be used as the fulcrum point about which the shoe is pivoted. In this case thewiping will be effected over a slightly different area, as shown in Fig. 4, but the excess material will still be distributed along the top line of the shoe. It is, of course, obvious that, by shifting the relation of the fulcrum pad to the wiper pads, the area of operation of the latter may be varied considerably.

In practising the method described above, the simple and inexpensive device illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 may be employed. It comprises a base 20 provided at its forward end with a dovetailed way 22 on which a grooved block 24 is slidable. To hold the block in its position on the way the groove is notched crosswise to receive a springpressed ball 26, so that considerable pressure must be exerted before the block will slide along the way.

Pivoted on the block 24 at 28 is an arm 38, the other end of which is forked and carries at either branch of the fork pads 32, 34, the lower pad 34 being adjustable heightwise by means of a threaded adjusting nut 36. An adjusting screw 38 limits the downward movement of the arm 30. To carry the pads Hi, there are provided two arms 40 pivoted at 42 in lugs 44 on the base. Also pivoted at 42 are two short arms 46, 48 which extend inwardly and overlap at the center of the base. In order that the pads It may exert an inward pressure on a shoe moved between them and thus tension the upper, two springs 50 are provided, one end of each spring being hooked to a lug 52 on one of the short arms 46, 48. The other end of each spring is fastened to a screw 54 carried by one of the arms 43, so that the arms 40 and the arms 45, 48 are pulled toward each other to the limits permitted by stops 56. Thumb nuts 58 are provided to adjust the tension of the springs 50.

To hold the arms 46, 48 in their lowest position, the arm 48 carries at its innermost end a pin 60 which extends lengthwise of the base and engages a slot 62 in the end of the arm 43. A locking lever 64 pivoted at 66 on the base has an upwardly projecting lug 68 to which is fastened a plate 10 having formed in it a shoulder 12. The shoulder 12 engaging the pin 60 holds the arms 46 and 48 in their lowest position against the upward pressure of a spring 14 acting between the base and the lower side of the arm 4'6.

In employing the device to practice the method described above, the pads 16 are first moved inwardly toward each other, thereby swinging the short arms 46, 48 downwardly until the pin 60 catches under the shoulder 12. A shoe S is placed on the swinging arm 30 with its toe engaging the pad 32 and the shoe bottom resting on the pad 34, and the operator then swings the assembly downwardly until the waist portion of the shoe engages the pads it. As the operator continues to force the heel end of the shoe downwardly, the pads l6 tend to hold the upper stationary relative to themselves, thereby exerting an upward and inward wiping action on the shoe. When the assembly reaches the limit of movement determined by the adjusting screw 38, the upper has been wiped along a curvilinear path in such a manner as to remove any fullness from the waist portion of the shoe. While the operator holds the shoe in this position at the bottom of the swinging movement, the upper may be tacked in its upwiped position on the last. It is to be noted that very little manual pressure is required to hold the shoe in its lowest position if it has been pressed past the pads to the extent shown in Fig. 3. Upon completion of these steps, the shoe may be removed from the device by pressing the lever 64.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, the device may be used equally advantageously by engaging the heel end of the shoe with the pads 32, 34. In this way the wiping action may be exerted upon points somewhat forward of the waist but nevertheless the excess material will be distributed all along the top line of the shoe.

By this method and device, there is provided a simple and effective way of insuring that a shoe will conform properly to the shape of a last inserted in the shoe after it has been assembled. The objectionable fullness which frequently occurs along the waist portion is eliminated and a tightly-lasted neat-appearing shoe is insured.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises assembling a shoe upper and a sole, inserting a last therein, moving the lasted shoe along a curvilinear path and simultaneously applying yielding pressure to the opposite sides of the shoe at its waist portion, thereby wiping the waist portion of the upper inwardly and upwardly over the last.

2. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises assembling a shoe upper and a sole, inserting and seating a last therein, swinging the lasted shoe about a transverse axis adjacent to one end of the shoe, and simultaneously applying yielding pressure to the opposite sides of .the shoe at itswaist portion, thereby wiping the waist portion of the upper inwardly and upwardly over the last.

3. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises assembling a shoe upper and a sole, inserting and seating a last therein, swinging the lasted shoe about an axis crosswise of the shoe and adjacent to the toe end of the shoe, simultaneously applying yielding lateral pressure to the opposite sides of the shoe at its waist portion, thereby wiping the waist portion of the upper inwardly and upwardly along a curvilinear path over the last, and securing the upper along its top margin to the last in upwiped position.

4. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises assembling a shoe upper and a sole, subsequently inserting and seating a last therein, swinging the lasted shoe about an axis crosswise of the shoe and adjacent to the heel end of the shoe, and simultaneously applying yielding lateral pressure to the opposite sides of the shoe at its waist portion, thereby wiping the waist portion of the upper inwardly and upwardly along a curvilinear path over the last, and securing the upper along its top margin to the last in upwiped position.

5. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises assembling a shoe upper and a sole, subsequently inserting and seating a last therein, engaging the top of one end of the lasted shoe under a fulcrum, swinging said lasted shoe downwardly about said fulcrum, applying a yielding pressure simultaneously with said swinging movement on the opposite sides of the shoe at its waist, thereby exerting an upward wiping pressure on the waist portion of the upper, and securing the upper to the last in upwiped 40 position.

6. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises assembling an upper and a sole, inserting and seating a last therein, engaging the top of one end of the lasted shoe under a fulcrum, and applying pressure to force said lasted shoe downwardly along a curvilinear path between oppositely disposed yielding pad members, thereby exerting pressure on the waist portion of the upper in a direction heightwise of the shoe and away from the shoe bottom.

'7. In a machine for operating upon shoes, a fulcrum member constructed and arranged for engagement by one end of a lasted shoe, and a pair of separate oppositely disposed yieldable pads positioned for working engagement with opposite sides of the waist portion of the shoe during the swinging movement of the shoe about the fulcruming point of said member.

8. In a machine for operating upon shoes, means for supporting one end of a lasted shoe for swinging movement about a transverse axis adjacent to one end of the shoe, and yieldable pads positioned to engage opposite sides of the waist portion of the shoe and constructed and arranged to wipe the upper upwardly during the swinging movement of the shoe on the supporting means about the axis.

9. In a machine for operating upon shoes, a member constructed and arranged for engagement by one end of a lasted shoe, and separate yieldable pad members constructed and arranged to engage opposite sides of the waist portion of a shoe during swinging movement of said shoe on said shoe engaging member between said pad members and to wipe the upper of the shoe upwardly and inwardly.

10. In a machine for operating upon shoes, an abutment constructed and arranged to be engaged by one end of a lasted shoe, and conformable pad members constructed and arranged to engage opposite sides of the waist portion of the shoe during swinging movement of the shoe on said abutment between said conformable pad members and to wipe the upper upwardly and inwardly into engagement with the last.

ERAS'IUS E. WINKLEY.

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